


Replacement

by Chesture



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Robin is replaced with a self-insert, This will probably cover the whole game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-16 14:24:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11830590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chesture/pseuds/Chesture
Summary: Thomas went to bed one night and woke up the next morning in the middle of a field in Ylisse. Armed with little else than Fire Emblem knowledge and his wits, he must attempt to be a decent Shepherd slash tactician and make sure the story works out okay in the end.





	1. The Verge of History

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic on AO3, and my first Fire Emblem fic in general. Comments and criticism are greatly appreciated!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made some edits to this chapter, as I received some criticism from a friend that made me reconsider the direction I want to go with the story. Next chapter will be up soon, so look forward to that, I guess.

_The original is missing. A replacement is required._  
_You..._  
_You will have to do._

…

The words rang indistinctly in the back of my mind, like they were from a dream I could just barely remember. I wasn't finished waking up yet, either; maybe halfway there. Even if I'd had the mental capacity to process the words, I didn't have the time, because a moment later a definitely real voice hit me right in the face.

"Chrom, we have to do SOMETHING."

"What do you propose we do?"

"I...I dunno..."

I snapped awake immediately. The two people standing above me most definitely looked and sounded exactly like Chrom and Lissa.

"I see you're awake now," "Chrom" said.

"Hey there," "Lissa" chimed in.

What.

"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know," "Chrom" said, exactly like in the original cutscene. "Give me your hand." He held his hand out for me to take it. I grabbed it, and he pulled me up to a standing position, or the best one I could muster given my state of dumbfoundedness. "You all right?" he asked. I took a minute to look at the two, and noticed "Frederick" standing behind them while I was at it. They all looked exactly like I would expect the characters to look in person, and "Chrom" and "Lissa" sounded identical to the ingame voices. Their weapons and armor also looked very much real.

"I-I...yes, thank you." I had narrowed it down to two possibilities at this point. I was either dreaming, or these were the most dedicated fucking cosplayers the world had ever seen. A look around the field I had apparently passed out in pointed to the former; there was nowhere like this anywhere within miles of where I lived. Now under the assumption that I was in fact dreaming, I figured I might as well roll with it. Where's the fun if you break immersion? "You're...Chrom, right?"

"You know who I am?" he asked. That line was slightly different from the original script. I wasn't sure what the significance of that was yet, but I noticed it nonetheless."Hmm...You seem foreign. Your accent isn't quite Ylissean, and your clothes most certainly aren't. Tell me, what's your name? What brings you here?"

"I, uh..." I looked down at my clothes. In the midst of these goddamn Fire Emblem characters, I really did stand out. I was wearing the same outfit I had been that day, a pair of jeans, white Converse shoes, and a gray T-shirt with the words 'The sarcasm is strong with this one' printed in the Star Wars logo font on the front. Great first impression, I bet. "My name's Thomas. You're right, I'm not from Ylisse. As for what I'm doing here...hell, even I couldn't tell you."

"You don't remember?" Chrom asked, looking at me quizzically. "...You're too young to drink, so that couldn't be it. Do you live near here? Where are your parents?"

"Oh, uh, I'm...I'm here by myself." Yep. Figures that question would come up, even in a dream. I mean, it did make sense, but it wasn't pleasant.

"Is that so..." Chrom said, trailing off. "Right then- I suppose we'll take you back to town and sort this out there." Huh. No interjection from Frederick the Wary. Maybe things like this had happened before? Or maybe it had something to do with me breaking from the script? Right after that thought, I mentally kicked myself. It was a dream. There didn't have to be a logical reason for it. "I think proper introductions are in order first, though. My name's Chrom, but you already knew that, apparently. The delicate one here is my little sister, Lissa."

"I am NOT delicate!" she objected. Dear God, it sounded exactly like the soundbite from the game. "...Hmph! Ignore my brother, please. He can be a bit thick sometimes. But you're lucky the Shepherds found you. Brigands would have been a rude awakening!"

I couldn't resist. "Shepherds? You tend sheep in full armor?"

"Heh. It's a dangerous job," Chrom remarked.

"Indeed," Frederick said. "One must always maintain an appropriate level of caution." He looked at me narrowly. "Something is off about you, stranger. A child your age on their own in a foreign country with no memory of how they got there, but who knows milord's name. It's intriguing, to say the least."

"Peace, Frederick," Chrom told him. "I believe him, puzzling though his story is. In any case, we should get going. The town is a distance away still." Frederick and Lissa had no objection to this, and soon enough we were on our way to whatever likeness of Southtown my brain could conjure up. It wasn't long before we were close enough to see the smoke rising from it.

"Chrom! The town!" Lissa yelled.

"I see it!" he replied. "Those blasted brigands, no doubt. Frederick, Lissa! Quickly!"

"What about the boy, milord?" Frederick interjected.

"Unless he's on fire as well, it can wait!" Chrom said, and sprinted off toward the town. Frederick and Lissa followed him, and I was left standing there with nothing but my thoughts. It then occurred to me that something was a little funky. Normally if I became lucid during a dream, it ended within a minute at most, but this had gone on significantly longer. I looked down at my left hand, and then pressed my right finger into it. Normally, if I was dreaming, I could get my finger to phase through my hand just by willing it. It didn't go through.

With that thought now nagging delightfully in the back of my mind, I set off after the Shepherds and hoped that the dream wasn't about to be cut short, whatever that entailed.

I caught up with them a few minutes later, right about the place where the prologue battle would have started. "Wait!" I called after them.

Chrom turned to look at me. "Thomas! You followed us! Why?"

"I...I want to help," I said. "I'm armed, and I can fight, if you'll have me." I had picked up a sword that I found lying on the ground on the way there. I had always thought it kinda weird that brigands seemed to consistently leave a fuckload of weapons lying around when I played Shadows of Valentia, but hey, I guess they did it in Awakening, too. In my head, of course.

"Are you sure?" Chrom asked, eyeing me closely. "You seem rather young, and your attire doesn't look all that suited for battle."

"I'm no younger than she is!" I retorted, pointing at Lissa. She really did look young, almost 16 or 17. That was kinda weird, but I guess it made sense; it put her right at 18 or 19 after the timeskip. "I'll be fine, I promise," I lied through my teeth. I'd never been in a fucking fight in my life, and my experience with swords was limited to YouTube videos by Skallagrim and a couple of PDFs on footwork, guards, and different kinds of swings. I also wasn't the most fit person in the world, or at least in reality, but hey, it was a dream!

"If you're sure," Chrom said uncertainly.

"Remember, Thomas, we face practiced thieves and murderers. They will grant us no quarter," Frederick advised. "It's kill or be killed." And then, right on cue, the brigands showed up.

Immediately, I noticed something was fucky. Just by glancing at the brigands, I was able to glean way more information than I should have been able to. It was almost like I could figure out their stats; I couldn't get exact numbers, but more of a general feeling. If I concentrated, I could see that a couple of them had skills, too, though I couldn't tell what they were. Before I could think too hard about this, though, the fray started. Frederick rushed forward toward the brigand near the canal and did him in with minimal effort, the momentum from his horse putting absurd power behind his lance.

Chrom ran towards the myrmidon in the middle, and I went around the other side. Chrom landed a solid hit on the myrmidon and managed to avoid the counterattack, and then it was my turn. It couldn't be too hard, right? Besides, even if I did get hit, I'd just wake up. I moved forward while the myrm was distracted by Chrom and took a swipe at him with the sword I had grabbed on the way. I got a clean hit in the myrm's shoulder blade, but this was not a good move on my part, because it pissed him off. He turned and took a swipe back at me, and slashed me right across my upper arm.

I did not do anything resembling waking up when the blade hit me. I screamed and dropped my own sword, clutching at my arm, and the myrm nearly took another swing before Chrom cut him down. I'd never even been seriously injured before in my life, and boy was a sword slash a nasty thing to start with. "Are you all right?" Chrom asked. He saw my arm a moment later, and then called over to Lissa. "Lissa! Here!" She ran over and held her staff up, and the wound glowed bright white before vanishing. The pain persisted, but it was significantly duller.

"...Oh. That's how it works," I said, still reeling mentally from the feeling of being slashed in the arm with a fucking sword. My mind was racing trying to process what was going on; if I was dreaming, that slash would have woken me up without a doubt. But there was no conceivable I way I was in fucking Ylisse. The thought had entered my mind, though, and my brain was now acutely aware of the fact that I was in the middle of an actual battle with people who wanted to kill me. I got to my feet shakily, and Chrom looked at me with concern.

"Are you sure you should be fighting? We can handle these brigands on our own," he assured me. "Don't go out of your way if you'll get yourself hurt."

"No, I...I'm fine," I told him. "I was careless. It won't happen again." Hopefully. I didn't have much choice, though. If I was going to survive, I needed to gain some experience.  
Chrom looked doubtful, but didn't say anything. We proceeded to clean up the remaining brigands, although Chrom and Frederick did most of the work. I got a few blows in one some of them, and I was willing to bet that I had leveled up, assuming we were gaining numerical EXP. It wasn't a fun process, though.

"Thank God that's over," I wheezed, mildly fatigued. I hadn't even really done that much, but I was winded. I'd definitely need to do some training.

"I'll say," Chrom said, looking at me. "You don't look too good. I mean, I wouldn't necessarily say you were a helpless victim..."

"Indeed," Frederick interrupted. "Perhaps you might be able to explain some things about yourself? Where you hail from, for instance, or why you're here?"

"Dude, really?" I groaned. "Not even five minutes ago I sustained an injury about ten times worse than any other I've had and you're already interrogating me. Anyway, all I know is that I went to bed last night and woke up in the middle of that field."

"Well, regardless of who you are, or-" Chrom coughed, "-your level of aptitude, you fought to save Ylissean lives. My heart says that's enough."

"And your mind, milord? Will you not heed its counsel as well?" Frederick said pointedly.

"My mind doesn't disagree," Chrom answered. "But that's enough of that for now. Thomas, do you have somewhere to stay?"

I looked down for a moment as I processed what to say. "...No. I've never been to Ylisse before, and...I don't think I can go back home." That...was a hell of a thought.

Chrom gave me an odd look. "Hmm...well, that's...huh. I'm sure we can work something out..."

"Can I suggest something?" I asked. He looked at me curiously. "I'd like to join the Shepherds." The look he gave me told me he did not think that was a good idea. He opened his mouth to object, but I spoke up again before he could. "I know I'm not the best swordfighter right now by any means, but I'm a fast learner, and I have other talents that can help." He was silent for a moment as he considered it.

"What talents, might I ask?" Frederick inquired, looking at me with thinly veiled suspicion.

I searched my mind for something to say when an idea hit me. "I, well...I didn't bring it up when we were fighting because I was busy, you know, trying to keep all of my limbs, but I can..."see" things on the battlefield. The enemy's strength, weaponry, flow of battle, and more if I apply myself...I have a natural talent for tactics and strategy." It wasn't a total lie. I did have some weird supernatural ability that showed me a lot of the same information Awakening's interface did. Now that I thought about it, actually... I concentrated briefly, and the "ability" told me a brief overview of my own stats. "I'm also apt at magic."

"Really?" Frederick said. "You seemed to be unfamiliar with healing magic when milady healed you earlier."

"I- well of course I'm familiar with the concept of healing magic," I said indignantly, like he was accusing me of not knowing how to add. "I've just never had it used on me before. Like I said: I've never been injured that badly before." Frederick seemed to accept this, because he didn't object further.

"Never mind that," Chrom said, and then looked at me, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Thomas, but I can't allow that. The Shepherds are soldiers, and you're...not."

I looked at him in disbelief. I know I hadn't made the best pitch, but this wasn't how it was supposed to go. If I didn't join the Shepherds... "Chrom, I-"

He held up a hand to stop me. "It's not up for debate. We'll take you back to the capitol with us, and figure something out from there. That's the end of it." I went silent. This was not good.

We spent a few more minutes in Southtown as the original conversation played out, regarding the brigands' Plegian accents, the need to hurry to the capital, and Frederick only smiling when he was about to bring down the axe, all minus my input. I was dazed. There wasn't much I could do to change Chrom's mind. At least, not yet...After the conversation ended, we set off for the capitol, while I brainstormed ideas on how to fix the mess I had gotten myself into.


	2. Unwelcome Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: If you read the first chapter of this already, you should probably go back and reread it, at least from the end of the battle. I decided I wanted to go in a slightly different direction with this than the one I started out with, so the first chapter has changed to reflect that.

It wasn't long before it got dark, and we began to set up camp. I took Lissa's place in the firewood gathering, and Frederick hunted the bear. By himself. It was a little scary to watch, but I was scared more for the bear's sake than Frederick's. We all sat down by the campfire to eat, and conversation ensued.

"It's been too long since I had bear meat," Chrom said, biting into a chunk of it. "Delicious!" He looked up from his bear meat to Lissa, who hadn't touched hers, and then to me. I was eyeing the bear meat with what probably looked like suspicion. "What's wrong, Lissa? Thomas? Dig in."

"Pass!" Lissa exclaimed. "Gods, couldn't you spear us an animal normal people eat for once? I mean, come on! Who eats bear? You're meddling with the food chain! Right, Thomas?"

I nodded absently. This was way beyond what I'd call normal. I would have preferred to not skip dinner entirely, though. I picked up my designated chunk of bear meat and sniffed it. It smelled...well, it smelled like meat, at least. I began to eat it, albeit slowly. Everyone gave me an odd look at the contradiction in my behavior.

Chrom looked back at Lissa. "Just eat it, Lissa. Meat is meat," he told her, and then went back to his own bear.

Lissa scowled. "Since when does meat smell like old boots? Wait, I take that back - boots smell better!"

"Every experience makes us stronger, milady," Frederick told her. "Even the ones we don't enjoy."

"Really? Then why don't I see YOU eating, Frederick?" she countered accusingly.

"Me? Oh, well...I'm not hungry. I...I had a large lunch! Yes, quite." That line had seemed like a pitiful attempt even when it was just text, but to hear Frederick actually say it made him seem like the world's worst liar.

We continued the meal in silence for a while, but after a few minutes Chrom spoke up. "So, Thomas," he began. I looked up from my now half-eaten bear chunk. "Where are you from, exactly? I've never seen anyone quite like you. Your clothes are...especially interesting." He looked pointedly at my 'The Sarcasm Is Strong With This One' shirt while he said that.

I looked down at the shirt. "Oh. Haha, uh, yeah...I'll probably change into something more appropriate once I get the chance," I replied. "But as for your question...well, there's no way you've ever heard of it. It's...in a completely different part of the world."

"Really? But you knew of me and the Shepherds?" Chrom questioned, looking surprised, and I thought I saw Frederick narrow his eyes a bit.

"We're really good at keeping up with information from the rest of the world," I explained, trying to think fast. "Almost any knowledge you can think of is easily accessible where I come from."

"What is this nation called, exactly?" Frederick inquired. "Surely you can at least tell us that much."

I debated with myself briefly whether or not it was a good idea to actually tell them, and then decided I probably didn't have much choice. "It's called America," I answered. "I guarantee you won't find any records on it, no matter where you look. It'd be an understatement to say that it's far away."

"Really? You speak Ylissean almost perfectly, though!" Lissa remarked. "The way you talk is a little off sometimes, but your accent is basically perfect!"

"Well, it wasn't that hard to learn. The languages are remarkably similar." Great, the conversation had lasted all of forty seconds and I was already at the 'technically true' stage.

"Hmm...Well, it's getting late," Chrom stated. "We should be getting to bed, we're leaving first thing in the morning. I'd like to hear some more about this 'America' some time, though." Everyone agreed with this, and subsequently went to bed. Everyone except me, of course. I couldn't sleep.

Now that I finally had some peace and quiet, I decided to organize my thoughts. I spent a good while fully processing the fact that I was indeed in Ylisse. It was still unbelievable, but there just wasn't any other explanation, other than me going insane, I suppose. After I had finished registering that concept alone, I started thinking about what it entailed. It was pretty clear that I'd replaced Robin, and it was very apparent that in my current state, I wasn't up to par. Sure, I had played Awakening, but I'd never studied actual war tactics or strategy, and I especially wasn't a good fighter. My knowledge of the plot was also fuzzy in a few places, and I hardly remembered most of the Valm arc at all. And most worryingly, I severely doubted I could just restart a chapter if I fucked up.

I had no trouble staying awake for the Risen Microapocalypse; my restlessness at not being accepted into the Shepherds had made sure of that. By the time Chrom and Lissa had awoke, I was already sitting up.

"Oh, Thomas, you're awake?" Chrom asked, looking at me as he got up. I nodded.

"Couldn't sleep," I explained. "Something felt off."

"Ah, you felt it too, then?" He stood up and looked around, and a moment later Lissa sat up as well and yawned.

"Care to define what 'something' is?" she asked.

"I don't know, but I think I'm going to have a look around," Chrom answered.

"Not alone, you won't!" Lissa retorted, standing up. "I'm coming too." I stood up as well.

"I'll go with you as well," I said. "Safety in numbers, right?" Chrom nodded. Frederick would probably have a fit when he discovered that we had all gone without him, but that was for later. We began wandering around the woods for a while. It eerily dark, and the usual sounds of the forest seemed muted. After about ten minutes of wandering, we stopped.

"It sure is dark...and quiet," Lissa said, a tinge of uneasiness in her voice.

"Something is wrong here," Chrom said, looking around suspiciously. I braced myself for the imminent earthquake, widening my stance so as to not fall over. A moment later, there was a violent shake, and Chrom and Lissa both lost their footing. I stumbled, but just barely remained standing.

"Gods, what-" Chrom barked. "Agh! What is this madness?! Both of you, stay close!"

We all looked around frantically, and a moment later we heard an ungodly amount of rustling and cracking behind us and turned to look. Trees were toppling over, and the ground began to shake even more violently. "Run! Both of you!" Chrom yelled. "I mean it! Go!" Lissa and I took off, and Chrom followed shortly behind us. I looked over my shoulder for just long enough to see a massive fissure form in the ground, and the land on the other side of the fissure rose up and began launching fire and brimstone. I picked up the pace.

Lissa and I both followed Chrom through the woods, running as hard as we could and dodging falling, flaming rocks. We managed to escape the fire and brimstone, but of course, just as we did, a giant magical eye-shaped portal formed in the sky. I gotta say, it was a hell of a sight. It would have been pretty cool if it weren't for the apocalyptic background and the knowledge that a bunch of zombies were about to fall out of it.

Right on cue, two Risen fell out of the portal and landed in the forest about 40 feet away from us. They stood and raised their heads, their glowing red eyes easily visible through the darkness. Chrom drew the Falchion as they watched us. "You two had better stand back," he said. A moment later, the Risen in front charged Chrom and leapt into the air, attempting to bring its axe down on him. Chrom ducked under the axe and lunged forward, slashing right through the Risen. It rotated its head around about a hundred and forty degrees to look at him and swung its axe. Chrom managed to block it and shoved the axe out of the way, knocking the Risen to the ground, and then leapt into the air, the Falchion leaving a glowing blue trail, and impaled it, finishing it off.

That was all well and good, of course, but Chrom had missed the second Risen, which was now advancing toward Lissa and I. I had my sword at the ready now, but it wasn't exactly easy to stare a monster like that down and not feel some apprehension. They may have looked humanoid, but the air they gave off was otherworldly; it sent chills down my spine. Lissa moved behind me as the Risen approached. "H-hey, you can fight, right?" she asked nervously. "Come on, do something!" I stood there, frozen, my sword pointed at the Risen. It raised its axe, black smoke pouring out of its mouth, and some kind of switch flipped on in my brain.

I lunged forward, blade pointed at the Risen's stomach. It embedded itself in the Risen about halfway down the blade, and the monster roared. I put my foot up against it and pushed, removing the blade from its gut and just barely shoving it far enough that the axe missed me. Seizing the opportunity, I slashed at the Risen's neck; it left a noticeable cut, but the Risen didn't seem to care that much. It swung its arm upward and knocked my blade away, and then used the momentum to bring the axe back in preparation for another attack.

Right at that moment, the giant portal in the sky began to glow, and I could just barely make out Lucina in the center of it. She leapt out of the portal and landed on her feet, then took off toward us, Chrom close behind, and both of them with Falchions in hand. They weren't quite fast enough, though, and the Risen's axe came down. Thankfully, I had my sword up just in time to intercept it. The Risen, not deterred by this, began to press down on the blade with inhuman strength. Just when I thought my arms might give out, Chrom and Lucina rushed forward, Falchions glowing, and cut the Risen in half. It disintegrated, and then Lucina dramatically sheathed her sword.

"That was quite an entrance," Chrom said, looking at her, or 'him,' I guess, given that Lucina was currently disguising herself as 'Marth.' "What's your name?" Chrom asked.

Chrom did not get an answer, as Frederick appeared just then. "Milord! Milady! Are you hurt?" he called frantically, riding towards us on his horse.

"Frederick!" Lissa exclaimed as he approached. Frederick examined Chrom and Lissa, and more or less ignored me, which was pretty much what I expected.

"No one is injured, then?" he said, relief in his voice. "Thank the gods..."

"Thank Thomas!" Lissa corrected him. "If he hadn't been here, I'd be..." Perfectly fine, I thought to myself. Lucina just happened to be a couple seconds late. Frederick looked surprised.

"You defended milady?" he asked, turning to me. I did a so-so gesture with my free hand.

"Ehh...I mean, Chrom and the masked guy were the one who actually finished it off..." I answered. I probably should have been trying to sell myself as best I could, but it didn't feel like I had done anything noteworthy. The Risen swung its axe at me first, after all.

Chrom shook his head. "Lissa's right. If you hadn't been there, it could have been a lot worse. I was distracted by the other monster, and although that masked man's help was appreciated, he didn't get here fast enough that he could have stopped that thing's axe." He appeared to realize something, and then looked around curiously. "Speaking of the masked man, where did he go?"

"We can worry about him later," Frederick said urgently, "AFTER we put these...things...to the blade.

Chrom nodded. "You're right. We have more pressing issues right now," he said, and then began to move to roughly the same position he started the chapter at in the game. Frederick began to ride off to his starting position, but before he did, I thought I caught him give me a small nod, and then he was gone. Lissa stayed back in the forest, and I followed Chrom and began surveying the battlefield.

There were two forts, like I remembered, though they were surprisingly small, which I suppose made sense given the scale of the outdoor maps ingame. The southern fort had a fighter Risen near it, and the western one had a merc Risen roughly two or three tiles away from it. I shook myself internally at that thought. Thinking in abstract videogame distance units was probably not a good idea. The merc Risen was probably about...sixty feet away from the fort. There wasn't much else notable about the area, except of course for the boss at the far end of the area, and the archer at the western edge, next to the river of lava.

I moved next to Chrom and examined him with my Tactician's Eye™, patent and name pending. I could see that he was carrying the Falchion and I could sense that he had a rapier. I hadn't realized he had been carrying one, but upon examining him more closely (with my actual eyes, not the weird abstract ability), he did have a second sheath at his side that was carrying a rapier. I could also tell that he had a skill. I couldn't tell exactly what it was, but I knew from experience that it would be Dual Strike+. A quick glance at myself said I was carrying a bronze sword, my stats were about what I would expect, and...I actually had a skill? The only thing it could possibly be was Veteran, but what logical reason would I have it for? ...Couldn't hurt to try and use it, I guess.

"Chrom, do you mind if I stick with you for this battle?" I asked. "I think it might help me learn to fight if I watch you and mimic what you do."

"Good idea," he said, nodding, and then stopped for a moment. "Say...Thomas, you said you have a natural talent for tactics, right?" I nodded. "Then here's your chance to prove it. What do you think we should do?" I mentally pumped my fist, then looked around.

"I think...if we go to that fort" - I pointed to the western one - "and wait for the enemy to come to us, we can finish it off pretty easily. Frederick can go to the southern fort and attract some enemies to him; they won't be a problem for him. If Lissa moves up here to where we are, she'll be out of danger but close enough that she can get to either us or Frederick if we need healing."

Chrom nodded again. "That sounds good to me." He turned to Frederick and called out to him. "Frederick! Thomas and I will hold the western fort! You stay at the southern one and deal with anything that causes you trouble until I tell you otherwise!" Frederick raised his lance in acknowledgement and began to move. Chrom beckoned to Lissa to move over to us, explained the plan to her, and then the two of us moved to the western fort.

The merc Risen came straight to us and took a swing at Chrom, but, slow as it was, it missed. Chrom got two good slashes on it, and I managed to finish it off. I figured Sully and Virion should be arriving any minute, so I poked my head out of the fort and was lucky enough to do so just in time to see Sully's boot hit Virion in the shoulder. I beckoned to Chrom. "Looks like we've got reinforcements!" I said. Chrom came over to look with me.

"It's Sully!" he exclaimed, and then squinted. "I'm not sure who that archer is, though."

Once Sully was done dealing with Virion, the two of them went to work on the merc Risen that had been trying to approach Frederick from the south. Virion put an arrow in its shoulder, and Sully ran it through with her lance a moment later.

"Hey," I said to Chrom, "tell Frederick to go spear that one with the axe." Chrom nodded and bellowed the order to Frederick, who complied and proceeded to completely devastate it. I turned back to the west. "Be on your guard," I said. "We'll have company soon, and one of them's an archer." Chrom looked surprised.

"These things can use bows?" he asked, bewildered.

"Unless that one's just for show," I replied, pointing to the archer.

He looked at the Risen in question and hmphed. "Huh. Alright, then let's stay inside for the time being." I nodded and we ducked back into the fort. Right as we did, an arrow sailed through the entrance and embedded itself in the opposite wall. Chrom and I both put our backs to the walls by the entrance, waiting to ambush them. A few moments later, a fighter Risen came running through the entrance...and completely missed us. It looked around for a few moments, trying to figure out where we were. I turned to look at Chrom. He looked like he was about to go for it, but I motioned for him to wait, and he looked at me questioningly.

“The archer,” I mouthed at him. “It's probably watching the door.” He gave me a 'then what do we do' sort of look. “Go around and shove it out of view. I'll finish it off,” I explained. He nodded, and then began to creep along the side wall of the fort. I mirrored him on the other side of the fort, and within moments he was aligned with the Risen. I gave him a signal, and Chrom charged the Risen at top speed, tackling it to the ground out of view of the entrance. I rushed forward and brought my blade down on the Risen's neck with all of my weight behind it, and a moment later, it was dust.

“That was a hell of a tackle,” I said, standing back up straight. “You'd make a scary football player.”

“A what?” He tilted his head at me.

"Nevermind,” I said, shaking my head. “We have an archer to deal with.”

"Right," Chrom agreed. “What do you propose we do about it?”

"Well..." I began thinking. It severely outranged us, but its buddy was gone now, so if it wanted to kill us, it would have to get close, since we had the walls of the fort. We'd be perfectly safe if we just stayed in the fort, but we couldn't afford to just let it pin us down...I was in the middle of that though when the archer walked right through the entrance, bow aimed at Chrom. I only saw it for a brief second before I yelled, “Duck!” Chrom turned to see what I was looking at, and then just barely ducked in time to not have an arrow through his skull. The archer, now in the rather disadvantageous position of not having an arrow nocked, could do little to prevent Chrom's counterattack. Turns out Risen aren't all that smart.

The rest of the battle proceeded fairly straightforwardly, the only notable thing being that I got to witness a handaxe firsthand (get it?) when we dealt with the Risen chief. It was actually two; one to throw, and one to defend yourself with while retrieving the thrown one. It was significantly less funny than all of the YouTube videos I had seen detailing theories on how the handaxe returned to the user. Other than that, the battle wasn't all that interesting. Once the last Risen was dead, we regrouped.

Now, however, was the fun part. We got to deal with "Marth," who had cleaned up the rest of the Risen on his own.

Chrom approached 'him' after the battle ended. "You dealt with all of those other creatures by yourself, huh?” he said. “My name is Chrom. Might I ask yours?"

"You may call me Marth," 'he' answered.

"Marth? After the hero king of old? You certainly fight like a hero. Where did you learn your way with a sword?" Chrom asked.

"I'm not here to talk about me," 'Marth' said, dodging the question. "This world teeters on the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned."

"Sounds fun," I said under my breath. I couldn't see 'his' face through the mask, of course, but 'he' gave me what I thought was probably a glare before 'he' left. 'He' didn't seem to react to me being present instead of Robin, funnily enough. I made a mental note of that.

"What's teetering where now? Hey, wait!" Lissa called after 'him.'

"I bet he's fun at parties," I commented.

"It appears his skills lie elsewhere. I wager we'll hear his name again, but for now I'm more concerned about the capital. We should make haste," Frederick said. Everyone present nodded at this, and we set off. As we got going, Sully pulled up beside Chrom, Virion close behind.

"I was wondering where you were," Chrom remarked. "Who's this new person?" He tilted his head toward Virion.

"I haven't got a clue, but he ticks me off," Sully answered. Virion looked hurt. "He won't stop following me around though, and if nothing else he's a decent shot, so I guess he's one of us now? As long as it shuts him up. Anyway, I could ask you the same thing. What's with the kid? 's he foreign?"

"That's what he tells us. He's from a country none of us have ever heard of, but he speaks perfect Ylissean. I take it you saw his outfit already?" Chrom asked in a joking tone, referring to my shirt again.

Sully laughed. "Yeah, it's different, alright."

I coughed. "I'm standing right here, you know."

"Oh, we realize," Chrom replied, humor in his voice.

 

* * *

 

We arrived at Ylisstol late in the morning. It was, honestly...pretty damn impressive. I didn't exactly live in a metropolis, but I'd been to decent size cities before, and Ylisstol outdid them. The population was about what I would expect of a modern city that size too.

"Wow. This is really something else," I said in awe as we made our way through the city. "I've never been anywhere quite like this."

"The capitol was spared the chaos, it seems," Frederick said, relief in his voice. "Thank the gods. I see no evidence of the great quake. It must have been limited to the forest." Suddenly, the crowd began stirring and talking amongst themselves. I heard the name a couple of times, and then there she was: Emmeryn was walking through the crowd.

Wait.

Oh God. _Emmeryn_.

"Huh. The exalt of Ylisse herself. Never thought I'd see that," I said honestly. I was trying my hardest not to let on that I was feeling anything other than awe, and most certainly not feeling soul-crushing dread.

"You know of Lady Emmeryn?" Frederick said disbelievingly.

"This surprises you, but not that I knew who Chrom was?" I asked rhetorically. I watched for a moment, thinking in silence. "It's...it's really safe for her to walk among the people like this?" It was half question, half statement.

"If you know of the exalt, then surely you know the value she holds to the Ylissean people," Frederick stated. I nodded.

"With Plegia poking at our borders, the people need her," Chrom said. "She's a calming presence when others might call for war."

"Right, I've gathered as much," I replied. "It's just so...strange. Where I come from, our leader never goes anywhere without armed guards, and for good reason. ...Ylisse is lucky to have her." Chrom's eyes widened at the statement about armed guards, and Frederick looked surprised too, but he didn’t look like he considered it a bad idea.

"She's also the best big sister anyone could ask for!" Lissa chimed in.

"Big sis-" My eyes widened. "Shit! I forgot, you two are _royalty!_ " I legitimately hadn't taken that into account until now; I was so familiar with Chrom and Lissa as characters that I forgot I was technically supposed to be treating them with formality and respect. I knew they weren't much a fan of it, but I figured I should at least make the gesture. I opened my mouth to speak again, but Chrom stopped me.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not much for formalities." Chrom turned and looked back at Emmeryn. "It looks like Emm's returning to the palace. Would you like to meet her?" I nodded.

"It, uh, it'd be a pleasure," I responded. Then I remembered something important. "Wait, uh-" I looked down at my shirt. "I should probably change into something more appropriate first." Chrom laughed.

"Don't worry, we'll find you something, I'm sure. Let's get going."

…

I was given a simple tunic roughly the same shade of blue as Chrom’s hair and a white long-sleeved shirt to wear underneath it. I was told to change into the tunic and shirt, but keep the rest of my clothes the same; Chrom told me they looked “exotic,” and would make me stand out, but wouldn’t be inappropriate. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, but I agreed nonetheless and went into a room by myself to change. I sat down on a bench for a moment to try and get a few moments of relaxation after the hectic last 24 hours, when I felt something hard and flat in my back pocket. I reached to extract it, but it almost wasn’t necessary; I recognized it the moment I touched it, but I still had to look at it just to confirm that it was really there.

“Holy shit,” I whispered. It was my phone. I pressed the home button and the screen flicked on; it had no service, of course, and it was nearly dead, but it was my phone. I stared at it for a moment, then put it away and quickly finished changing before going out to meet up with the others.

"Are you sure I look okay?" I whispered to Chrom as we entered the palace proper, tugging at the tunic. "This feels a little, I don't know...plain to be wearing to meet with the ruler of the country."

"You're fine," Chrom insisted. "Trust me, the rest of your clothes more than make up for the 'plainness' of it."

" _That doesn't make me feel any better_ ," I hissed. Lissa giggled, and I'm pretty sure Chrom was holding back a laugh too. Next thing I knew, we were face to face with Emmeryn herself, Chrom and Lissa in the front, Frederick standing beside them, and me in the back.

"Chrom! Lissa! Welcome home. Oh, and good day, Frederick," Emmeryn greeted. "How fared you all?" Up close, she looked...well, about the same as her portrait in game, really. Everyone did more or less, minus the semi-anime art style, of course. I had already noticed that some characters fared better in the transition from half-anime to realism than others, but Emmeryn probably got off better than anyone else so far. She projected an extremely regal air, but not an intimidating one; it was the kind that made you scared that you would do something stupid, not scared of her. I was, of course, convinced that I would do something stupid the moment she spoke.

"Well - we won't have any bandit problems for a while," Chrom answered confidently.

"Wonderful," Emmeryn said, smiling. "And our people?"

"Safe as they can be, Emm. But we still need to watch the borders. The brigands crossed over from Plegia." Chrom's expression shifted as he spoke, from confident to grim. Suddenly, Phila spoke up. I had actually forgotten Phila existed until I saw her, which was an unfortunate testament to how little attention the writers had given her. In fact, if I remembered correctly, I thought she died at some point…

"Forgive me, milord," she apologized. "My pegasus knights should have intercepted them."

"No, Phila," Chrom corrected. "Your duty was here with the exalt."

"Besides, we found some help on the way!" Lissa commented. I winced internally. I was pretty sure the original line was 'plenty of help.'

"Ah, do you speak of your new companion here?" Emmeryn asked, turning to me. I'm not gonna lie. I panicked. It isn't every day you get addressed by one of the most influential people on the continent.

Chrom nodded. “This is Thomas. He fought with us against the brigands. He isn't the most proficient of fighters right now, but he has potential and a good head on his shoulders. I've decided...tentatively...to make him a Shepherd.” My eyes widened dramatically. That wasn't his stance this time yesterday, but I wasn't going to object.

"It sounds as though Ylisse owes you a debt of gratitude, Thomas," Emmeryn said. I shook my head.

"N-no, not at all, milady!" I stammered. Then Frederick spoke up.

"Forgive me, Your Grace, but I must speak. Thomas claims to be from a far away nation that none of us have heard of, and also claims that he does not remember how he arrived in Ylisse. But it is only that: a claim. We cannot rule out the possibility that he is a brigand himself or even a Plegian spy."

"Frederick!" Chrom exclaimed, looking surprised.

"Yet you allowed him into the castle, Chrom. Does this boy have your trust?" Emmeryn looked at Chrom questioningly.

Chrom nodded. "Yes. Even with his lack of skill, he risked his life for our people, and it's because of him that Lissa made it out of the fight in one piece last night. That's good enough for me."

"Well, Thomas," Emmeryn said matter-of-factly, "it seems you've earned Chrom's faith, and as such, you have mine as well."

"I- thank you, milady."

"But thank you, Frederick, for your prudence, as always. Chrom and Lissa are blessed to have so tireless a guardian. I do hope they remember to mention that from time to time..."

"They occasionally express something akin to gratitude, Your Grace." Frederick confirmed."Phila, I assume you've heard about the deathly creatures we encountered, yes?" Phila nodded.

"Yes, milord. They've been sighted all across Ylisse."

"Chrom, we are about to hold council," Emmeryn said. "I was hoping you could join us."

"Of course," he agreed.

"I think that's our cue, Thomas!" Lissa grabbed me by the arm and began pulling me away. "C'mon, there's a place I want to show you!"

"Ack! Hey, you don't have to drag me!" I protested. "Jeez!" Lissa didn't seem to care much for my protests, because she did not let go. I decided that she probably wasn't going to, so I shut up and started thinking. If I recalled correctly, we were headed for the Shepherds' barracks. This...would be a thing.


	3. Shepherds, Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Thomas learns he's a wizard, Chrom learns about cheeseburgers, and reality begins to set in.

We were on our way to the garrison shortly. Lissa assured me that it wasn't far from the palace, which made sense, I guess, given that the Shepherds were probably the closest thing that Ylisse had to a proper army. As we walked, though, something began nagging at the back of my mind. After a few minutes, I couldn't hold the question in anymore.

"Hey, Lissa..." I began. She turned to look at me. "Do you know why Chrom changed his mind? About making me a Shepherd?"

"Oh, that?" She turned to face forward again. "Well, he didn't say anything to me, but I can think of a couple reasons."

"Like?"

"For one, I'd be in a couple pieces right now if it weren't for you!" she exclaimed, smiling as she spoke.

"Oh, that?" I rubbed the back of my neck. "Well, I was defending myself as much as I was you..." That had been all I had been concerned with at the time, actually. The fact that Lissa had even been there hadn't really weighed on me until after the fact. And now that I thought about it, it was kind of weird that Lucina had been slower than normal...Or maybe the Risen had been faster? Either way, it was an odd change.

"Oh, that's what they all say." She was silent for a moment, and then looked at me. "I...I never got to properly thank you for that. So...thank you."

There was an awkward silence, and then I coughed. "Anyway, can you think of anything else?"

She thought for a moment.  "Hmm...well, you may not have any training, but you do have some combat experience. That's actually the opposite of a few of the Shepherds, so maybe it balances out? We've also needed someone who's decent at tactics for a while..."

I nodded. "That makes sense, I guess." Now that I thought about it, Sumia hadn't been in an actual battle yet. The battle with the brigands and then the Risen yesterday would have been Lissa's first battles, as well. Unless you counted the Before Awakening DLC in Fates, but I didn't think that was necessarily 'canon.'

We arrived at the garrison shortly after that, and Lissa showed me inside to the common area. "Here we are!" she said. "The Shepherds' garrison. Go on, make yourself at home." Home. Hoo, boy. That would definitely take some getting used to.

We were in the garrison for about 2 seconds before Lissa was nearly assaulted by Maribelle. "Lissa, my treasure! Are you alright? I've been on pins and needles!"

"Oh, hey, Maribelle!" Lissa greeted her, smiling. Maribelle had stopped moving now, and I was able to get a decent look at her. The best word to describe Maribelle was...poofy. As well as frilly.

"'Oh, hey,' yourself!" Maribelle yapped at her. "I've sprouted 14 gray hairs fretting over you!"

"Aw, you worry too much," Lissa told her. "I can handle a battle or two! ...Although I could do without the bugs and the bear barbecue," she muttered.

A voice came from another direction, and I was reminded that there were, in fact, other people in this garrison; namely, Vaike and Sumia. "Hey, squirt!" Vaike butted in. "Where's Chrom? I bet he had a rough time out there without ol' Teach and his trusty axe!" Wow. Vaike was...pretty buff. It made sense, given that he was an axe user, but he was still several cuts above the brigands we had faced the other day.

Lissa giggled. "Oh, so you're 'Teach,' now, Vaike, is that it? And here I thought people were just born lacking wits. It can be taught?"

"Ha! Never doubt the Vaike!" he exclaimed proudly, but the expression quickly faded to suspicion. "...Wait, was that an insult?"

Suddenly, Sumia interjected. "Beg pardon, but when might we see the captain?"

"Sumia's simply been beside herself with concern," Maribelle said, breaking away from Lissa. "Her eyes were scanning the horizon all day during training. ...She might have earned fewer bruises fighting blindfolded."

"Aw, Sumia, that's so sweet of you to worry about Chrom," Lissa cooed.

"Worry? Well, I..." Sumia struggled to find an adequate explanation for a minute. "Well, he's our captain and our prince- of course I'd worry!" The statement was innocuous enough, but the blush on her face rendered any attempt to be inconspicuous futile.

"So, who's the stranger?" Vaike asked, turning to me. _Thank God_ , I thought to myself. I had been starting to feel kind of awkward just standing there.

"Well, no one's stranger than you, Vaike," Lissa began, "but allow me to introduce Thomas!" She pointed her arms toward me in a sort of 'ta-da' gesture. I did a little wave. "He's our newest addition. Chrom's made him our tactician." Everyone looked surprised, and Vaike looked at me funny.

"Tactician? A kid your age? Hmm..." He gave me a critical stare, and I think I winced a little bit. His face went back to normal a moment later. "Well, if Chrom think's you're good for the job. But tell me -" he grinned "- can you do this?" He let out a monster belch, and I swear I could feel the air vibrate from where I was standing.

"Okay," I said, blinking. "I'm not usually entertained by stuff like that, but  _that_ was damn impressive." Vaike's grin widened.

"Ugh, Vaike!" Maribelle cut in, "that was abhorrent! Must you baseborn oafs pollute even the  _air_ with your buffoonery? And you, Thomas!" She turned to me accusingly. "Don't  _encourage_ him! I hoped you were cut from finer cloth. Hmph!" With that, she stomped away huffily, and everyone turned to watch.

"Yikes," I said.

"Don't take it to heart, Thomas," Sumia reassured. "Maribelle warms to people slowly." Clearly.

"Or burns too quickly!" Lissa giggled. "But yeah, just give her time." A moment later, Chrom walked in, and Sumia immediately perked up.

"Ah! Captain! You've returned! I was- I mean, we were so-" She stopped talking and walked excitedly over to Chrom, but she slipped on a paper on the way there and landed flat on her stomach.

"Sumia!" Chrom exclaimed. "Are you alright? ...Those boots of yours again?" Sumia got up and dusted herself off.

"N-no!" she stammered. "I mean, yes! I mean..." She let out a dejected sigh.

Chrom seemed to let it go and moved on to more pressing matters. "All right, listen everyone," he announced. "In the morning, we'll be marching to Regna Ferox. Make sure to let everyone who isn't here know when you get the chance."

"Regna Ferox?" Sumia asked, tilting her head. "Why?"

"You've heard of the monsters that have been appearing around the halidom, yes? Well, we need their strength to quell this new menace," Chrom explained. "Typically, the exalt would request such aid in person, but given recent events...well, the people might worry should my sister suddenly leave the capitol. So this task has been passed to us." He looked around. "Now, this mission is strictly voluntary. So, if for any-"

Lissa cut him off. "I volunteer!"

"Me too!" Vaike added. "You'll be needin' ol' Teach along for such a delicate mission!"

"I'll go as well," a voice spoke from out of nowhere. Everyone jumped, and turned toward the source of the voice. It was Kellam. "...What?" he said indignantly. "I've been here the whole time!" God, that was spooky. If you looked too far away from him, he really did just...vanish. I could swear I could even see the wall behind him.

"I guess it goes without saying that I'm going," I said, putting my hands in my pockets.

Sumia tried to speak up, and stammered. "I... I, um..."

Chrom looked at her expectantly. "Yes, Sumia?"

"It's just that..." She looked down. "I'm not sure I'm quite ready for a proper mission just yet. I'd probably just get in the way." She looked so sad...it was almost pitiful.

"Well, you could stay behind the main group, and if a battle is met, just watch and learn?" Chrom suggested. "Your choice, of course, but some lessons can only be learned on the battlefield." I nodded in agreement with that. I'd already figured that out the hard way.

"W-well, if you think it wise, Captain," she agreed uncertainly.

"Just stay by me and you'll be fine," he told her, and in that moment, I understood what it was like to witness anime in person. It unsettled me.

"Oh, yes!" Sumia exclaimed excitedly. "I mean-" She mellowed out as quickly as she could and continued. "Yes, sir, I'll do that."

With that, everyone began to disperse. Chrom briefly showed me the most notable locations around the garrison: the mess tent, the barracks, the bathing tent, the storage room, the  _latrines_ (yikes), and the training areas, and then he left me to do my own thing. I spent a good few minutes wandering around, trying to decide what to do with the rest of the day, when an idea hit me. After some more wandering, I discovered that the garrison actually had a library. I supposed it wasn't that unreasonable, given that the garrison was a permanent institution in the capitol, and one run by a royal, no less. I ventured inside and, as I hoped, Miriel was there with several books open on a table, and she was writing in what looked like a notebook. I was about to go up and speak to her, but some unknown, evidently merciful force made me hesitate, as I remembered what Miriel was like. I had benched her relatively early in Awakening, so I only had a vague idea of what she would be like, but that was more than enough. However, faced with little choice, I summoned up my courage and approached her.

"Excuse me," I began. She didn't look up from her notebook. "Um. You're Miriel, right?" No response. "Hello?" Zero. "Miriel?" Zilch. " _Miriel._ " Nada. "MIRIEL!"

She jumped and turned to look at me. "Ah! Identify yourself! State your name and intent!"

I backed up and held my hands up defensively. "Hi. I'm Thomas. New Shepherd. Sorry I startled you." She seemed to calm down a bit, but still looked miffed. "I came to tell you that we're marching to Regna Ferox tomorrow, and you're welcome to join if you want."

She nodded. "Understood. I shall join in the march." She began to turn back to her books, but I spoke up again before she got lost in them.

"And, uh, I was wondering about something," I continued. She turned to look at me again. "I, uh...If you have the time, I'd like to learn some magic."

"I am currently occupied," she said matter-of-factly. There was an awkward silence as I waited for her to say something else and she didn't.

"Okay, uh...in that case, just a question, then. Would it be possible for me to learn to use a tome in time for the march tomorrow?"

She mulled over it for a moment. "What is the nature of your prior experience with magic?"

"None. I might as well have never even seen magic before yesterday." At that, her expression shifted.

"Hmm...curious. You wish to see what level of proficiency you can attain with no prior experience given a severely limited period of time?" She examined me closely. "For one with no experience, your ethereal attunement is abnormally high..." She closed all of her books and then turned all the way around to face me. "Very well. I will teach you." I started.

"Wha- really? Just like that?" I said disbelievingly. She nodded.

"This will prove mutually beneficial. You will attain the magical proficiency you desire, and I shall obtain some valuable data on the importance of extensive practice of magic versus thorough technical understanding, as well as the ability of a person to acquire and retain a new skill in a short period of time." She gestured to the opposite end of the table. "Take a seat. I will procure volumes on the topic of basic practical magical theory, as well as beginner tomes." I did as she instructed, and within moments she was zipping around the library, examining shelves every now and then for a second at most, sometimes grabbing books off of them and adding them to the ever growing stack that was forming in her arms. Eventually, she returned to her seat and spread the stack of books across the table.

"Can you read quickly?" she asked. I nodded. She grabbed one of the books and placed it in front of me. It was a plain volume, with the words 'Practical Spellcasting For Beginners' printed across the top of the cover. "I believe it will be faster for you to read this on your own. Once you are certain you have grasped the basic concepts, we will begin the training in full."

"Okay." I opened the book up and began reading. It didn't look that long; I estimated that I could probably read it cover to cover in about half an hour. As I read, it became apparent that anima magic was, thankfully, almost exactly like I had expected it to be; that is to say, it was like programming. The book explained briefly how a spell was actually formed, what role a tome served in spell casting, and, most importantly, how to actually cast a spell. The glyphs that were found in tomes were more or less the 'program' itself; they had been developed slowly over the ages, each one serving a specific function. Originally, mages had to devise completely unique glyphs for each spell, and so a spell that might make perfect sense to one mage would be indecipherable for another. As magic and society evolved, this changed so that there was a standardized 'language' of anima magic. It was of course still possible for mages to develop their own glyphs, but this required a high-level understanding of magic and was largely seen as unnecessary anyway due to the sheer number of existing glyphs.

As for actually casting a spell, there were two main components: the glyphs and the intent. Glyphs could either be physical or you could just envision them in your head; it didn't make too much of a difference, technically speaking. In reality, however, casting spells without a tome or otherwise physical copy of a glyph was generally much more difficult, as you had to divide your attention between the glyph and actually directing the magic. In addition, spells needed a source of energy to draw from. When using a tome, the pages themselves acted as the energy source; the page was consumed when you casted the spell. When casting a spell mentally, however, the spell drew on the most immediately available source of energy, which was _your_ energy. The general rule given by the book was that to perform an action using a mental spell would consume the same amount of energy required to perform it normally. I guess that explained why magic costed HP in Shadows of Valentia. In any case, tomes and enchanted items were the preferred method of spellcasting for most mages.

I got two thirds of the way through the book and then discovered that the last third was a glossary of sorts of basic glyphs, with details on what each of them did, potential applications for them, and how to implement them into a spell. At the very back were a few beginner-level spells that you could cast without a tome, such as levitation. I skimmed through them, then closed the book. "I'm done," I said.

"Excellent," Miriel replied, sitting up straight. "Now attempt to levitate that book."

I stared at her blankly for a moment. "...Wha- That's it? I just finished reading and you want me to attempt a spell?" She nodded. I sighed. "Okay." I reopened the book and studied the basic levitation spell in the back for a few moments, then sat back and attempted to focus. I envisioned the glyph in my mind's eye, willing the book to move, and...nothing.

"As expected," Miriel observed. "Although you have high attunement and appear to grasp the material, you lack the practice and developed sense for magic."

"Okay," I responded, shifting in my chair. "What do we do about that?"

"Practice. We will run through basic training exercises to develop your sense for magic and ability to direct it."

"How long will that take?"

"As long as necessary."

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Again," Miriel directed, quill poised above her notebook.

I focused on the book, directing my energy into forming the spell and visualizing the book levitating in my mind. I could feel the energy moving, taking shape, but not quite doing anything, not manifesting itself. The grasp on the book felt fuzzy, like it wasn't entirely there, which was exactly the same way it had felt the last forty fucking seven times. I cut the spell short and leaned back in the chair, rubbing my temples.

"What is the problem?" Miriel asked, still poised to write.

"Something isn't right," I answered. "I don't...I don't think I'm  _thinking_ about this correctly. I'm approaching it the wrong way."

"How so?"

I looked at the book again. "I think..." I picked it up in one hand and examined it, turning it around to get a feel for the full shape of it. "Hm." I set it back down and began the spell again. This time, instead of just envisioning the book moving, I focused on the book itself, constructing the whole object in my mind, almost like a wireframe. I felt the spell latch onto the book immediately, and once it did I was able to wave the book around in the air as easily as if I had been holding it in my hand.

"Holy shit! I did it!" I couldn't believe I actually managed to do  _magic_. Miriel scribbled something in her notebook.

"Forty-nine attempts. Attempts one through forty eight produced no result, attempt forty-nine executed perfectly. Cause of change presumed to be 'change in approach.'" Miriel adjusted her glasses. "This should be sufficient to utilize a tome in battle. I trust you are satisfied?" she asked. I nodded.

"This is more than enough for now, but, ah...if I wanted to study magic some more, you know, get a better academic understanding of it, where should I start?" I had hardly finished the sentence before she had placed a stack of probably six or seven books in front of me.

"Read these in order," she answered.

"Ooo-kay." I lifted up the stack of books and made my way toward the entrance of the library. I looked over my shoulder and called "Thanks, Miriel!" and she immediately shushed me. Right. Library. I turned around as I stepped outside and nearly dropped all the books as I ran into something tall and...blue. I took a step back and looked up to see Chrom.

"Thomas! There you are!" he said. "I wondered where you'd gone off to. It's late, we'll be eating dinner soon."

"Oh- wait, how long was I in there?" I asked, glancing around Chrom at the sky.

"Last I saw you was about eight hours ago," he answered. "I think you missed lunch, too."

" _Eight hours?_  Holy _shit,_ " I said under my breath. "It didn't _feel_ like that long."

"What were you doing, anyway? Eight hours in the library is a daunting feat for anyone here except Miriel."

"I was with Miriel, actually," I explained. "I figured it probably isn't the best idea for me to rely on swords alone right now, given my lack of training, so I decided to see about learning some magic. Now I can do this!" I floated the top book off the stack and opened it, flipping through the pages with magic. He gave me a doubtful look. "I mean, I can use tomes too! I just don't have one on me right now." He looked satisfied with that.

"Alright. Well, anyway, make sure you get something to eat and get a good night's rest. We've got a long day tomorrow." I nodded. With that, Chrom began to leave, presumably for the mess tent, and I set off for the barracks to put my new books away when I remembered something important.

"Oh, hey, Chrom?" I called. He turned. "Which room in the barracks is mine?"

"Just pick any empty one," he answered.

"Okay." I resumed my short journey to the barracks and perused the rooms. Each one had a sign by the door, save the empty ones, of course. I picked an empty room at random and entered.

The room was...simple. There was a bed in the back right corner, a small table in the front left, and a window set in the middle of the back wall. That was about it. I went over to the table, set the books down, and then left. I turned around when I stepped out of the room and looked around for notable landmarks of some kind so I could find the room again, and it turned out I'd picked the room between Kellam and Stahl. With that fixed in my memory, I headed to the mess tent.

The rest of the Shepherds were already there, waiting eagerly for the food to be done. I wound up sitting by Stahl and Vaike. "Everyone sure looks excited," I commented as I sat. "Who's cooking?"

"Frederick," Vaike answered. "His cooking is always the best."

"Oh, really?" I raised an eyebrow. Vaike nodded in response. "Huh. That makes sense, I guess. Frederick does strike me as a man of...discerning taste."

Stahl turned toward me as I spoke. "Oh, hello! I don't believe we've met. Are you a new Shepherd?"

"Mhm. As of today, I'm the Shepherds' tactician." I looked at Vaike. "Hey, Vaike, did you remember to tell Stahl about our expedition tomorrow?" Vaike's eyes widened, as did Stahl's.

"How did you know I was supposed to do that?" he asked.

"I've gotta stay on top of things, you know, given my new occupation." Bold-faced lie, but whatever. It was a better explanation than pseudo-prescience.

"What's this about an expedition?" Stahl demanded.

"We're marching to Regna Ferox first thing in the morning to request aid for dealing with the Risen," I explained.

"I see...I'll definitely be coming along." Stahl turned as he spoke. "Oh, the food's done!" Everyone stood after he said that, and Frederick arrived a moment later, carrying a dish that looked far too large for a single person to be carrying.

"Eat well, everyone," he said. "We've a long march starting tomorrow, and we'll need to be at full strength." Everyone began to crowd around the table, getting plates and silverware. I did the same, and it wasn't until I got to the table that I saw what Frederick had prepared. It looked like something that you might find at a royal banquet; which I supposed made sense, given that the Shepherds were comprised mostly of nobility, and the prince and princess of the realm were eating with us. There were a variety of meats (though nothing exotic. Frederick was the cook, after all), fish, and vegetables, along with a large amount of bread.

I watched everyone else get some food for a minute to get an idea of what I should get, then decided to play it safe and took some ham, potatoes, and a bread roll. I was about to sit back down by Stahl and Vaike when Chrom called me over. "What's up?" I asked as I approached.

"Impromptu meeting," he said. "Take a seat."

I sat down next to him and poked at my food. "Meeting? What for?"

"The march tomorrow." He looked at me expectantly. "You are our tactician now, are you not?"

I cursed internally. I should have been expecting this, but I got too caught up in the whole magic debacle to think about it. "Right, of course. Well..." I thought for a moment. "First thing to consider is probably who's coming along. Miriel said she'll come, and Stahl just volunteered as well." I counted off the Shepherds on my fingers as I spoke. "Lissa, Vaike, and Kellam volunteered earlier today...I imagine Sully is coming, and Virion won't be far behind. Add you, me, and Frederick, and that makes a grand total of...Ten people going on this march." I exhaled. "That doesn't sound like a lot."

"Ten Shepherds is quite a lot next to the average militia," Chrom reassured. "Trust me, we'll be fine."

"If you say so," I said. "Next is supplies. Regna Ferox is...how far away, exactly?"

"With ten of us, it'll be about four days," he answered.

"Okay...four days' worth of food for ten people, huh. I'm not sure how exactly we're going to carry that much, unless we bring a convoy. It's also rather cold up in Regna Ferox, isn't it?" Chrom nodded. "Then we'll tell everyone to pack warm clothes, although I imagine they've probably already done it given where we're going. Next is equipment. If it's not too much trouble, I could use an actual sword, as opposed to the metal stick I was swinging around the other day." Chrom laughed and nodded.

"We'll see about getting you some proper equipment, especially some armor," he said. "Common clothes are better suited for defending against the elements than blades."

"Uh-huh. I'd also like to have a look at everyone else's equipment, if I can," I added. "I noticed Sully was carrying a bronze lance and I don't think it's doing her any favors. It might not be a bad idea to outfit her with a sword, either."

"Sounds reasonable," he agreed. "Are you familiar with everyone's training and abilites?"

"Not quite," I lied. "I haven't spoken much to Stahl yet, and I'm not sure where Sumia's talents lie at the moment. I also haven't even seen Kellam since he volunteered earlier today."

"No one sees Kellam unless he wants to be seen," Chrom mused. "Anyways, Stahl is a cavalier of about the same prowess as Sully, although he doesn't have quite as much presence on the battlefield. Sumia isn't bad with a lance, but as it stands now, her fighting is rather...lackluster, like she's missing something."

"Hmm...wonder what that could be," I remarked. "Who knows, maybe we'll find it on the way to Regna Ferox."

Chrom exhaled through his nose, the way you usually do when you find a post on the internet that is mildly amusing but not enough to make you actually laugh. "Maybe so. Anyway, is that all?" He gave me that expectant look again. "Can you think of anything else we need to cover?"

"Uhh..." I thought silently for a moment. "Augh, I'm forgetting something...Something important. I know I am, it's nagging at the back of my head." I stopped talking and let my mind wander briefly. A few seconds later, it snapped into place. "Our route! What route are we following to get to Regna Ferox? We're headed for the capitol, right?"

He nodded. "We'll be headed up the Northroad. There aren't any major obstacles along the way, but there have been reports of Risen at different points on the road."

"We should be prepared for a battle along the way, then," I suggested. "Is that it?"

"That's it," Chrom confirmed. "Meeting adjourned. Now, let's eat!" We both began to dig in, and Frederick joined us a minute later.

"Oh, hey, Fred," I greeted as he sat down. He elected to ignore that and instead got straight to the point.

"Are we prepared for the march tomorrow, milord?" he asked, looking at Chrom. Chrom nodded in response.

"We just finished discussing it," he said. "We'll need to pack four days worth of supplies for ten of us, and Thomas would like some proper equipment."

"Understood, milord. I'll see to it right away." He began to stand, but Chrom stopped him.

"Sit down, Frederick, eat your food." Frederick hesitated for a moment. "That's an order. Before it gets cold." He reluctantly sat back down and began to eat. "Oh, speaking of food," Chrom added, "Thomas, what kind of food do you have in America? Is this kind of meal normal for you?"

"Mm." I swallowed the food in my mouth and then spoke. "Kind of. We do have food like this, but it's not something we eat very often. A meal like this is something I'd only expect on a holiday. What we eat normally is really different."

"Oh?" Chrom looked curious. "Do tell."

"I wouldn't even know where to begin," I said, thinking. "Let me think...For dinner, it varies a lot. It could be fried chicken, or cheeseburgers, or tacos...Pizza! Pizza's really good too." Chrom looked at me quizzically.

"I've...never heard of any of those. The only thing I could make sense of was 'fried chicken,' and I'm still not really sure what you mean." He set his silverware down and took a drink from his glass, and it was only then that I realized I hadn't gotten anything to drink.

"Oh, fried chicken is like..." I tried to think of the best way to explain it to a man living in pseudo-medieval Europe. "A piece of fried chicken is a piece of chicken that's been breaded and then fried in oil...I think. I'm no cook, so don't quote me on that. I'm pretty sure you can do it with just about any edible part of a chicken, but it's usually done with the breast so that you don't have to worry about the bones."

"Huh. That sounds interesting, to say the least. I think I might want to try that sometime." He took a bite of his food and continued. "What about the others? Cheeseburgers, tacos, and...pizza?" He stretched the words out like he was pronouncing something foreign, which, I guess, in one case, he was.

"Right. Cheeseburgers are like...uh, you do have sandwiches in Ylisse, right?" Chrom nodded. "Okay, I wasn't sure, cause I haven't seen any. A cheeseburger is kind of like a sandwich, but it's round, and it uses a special kind of bread. The main ingredient is like a grilled beef patty, and it also has a slice of cheese on it. Beyond that, it's up to personal preference. You can add anything you want, really. Lettuce, onions, tomatoes, pickles, you name it. It's also common to add extra layers of beef or cheese." My mouth had actually started to water a little bit while describing it. Man, I was going to miss cheeseburgers.

"I see. That actually sounds pretty good," Chrom said, and Frederick nodded in agreement. I turned to look at him.

"Frederick?" I asked, surprised. " _You_ want to try a cheeseburger?" He nodded again.

"I admit that it does seem appealing," he said. "It does not sound difficult to prepare, and uses easily accessible ingredients. If its taste matches expectation, I think I may take to them quite well."

"Huh," I muttered. "I might see about trying to make some sometime, then, if enough people are interested." I cleared my throat. "Moving on, we have tacos. Tacos...actually aren't American, they came from a neighboring country. I'm not really sure how to describe them. The key component is something that's not made in Ylisse, and I don't really know enough about them to make one." Chrom looked disappointed.

"However, I am very familiar with the last one," I continued. "Pizza's like, my favorite out of the three that I can describe." I set my silverware down. "A pizza starts out as a flat circle of dough, about this size." I drew a circle the size of a large pizza on the table with my finger. "Then, the center is flattened more, so that an about an inch of dough around the edge is raised up to form a border." I mimed flattening out the middle of the pizza. "The middle is then covered with a layer of sauce made from tomatoes and garlic, and then a layer of shredded cheese is put on top of that. From there, you can put anything you want on it. A lot of people like to put meat on it, like pieces of sausage or slices of pepperoni, but you can also put vegetables, fish...hell, some people even put fruit on them! Anyway, after all the ingredients are placed on it, it's baked in an oven, and after it's done, it's cut into triangles, like this." I divided the imaginary pizza on the table into eight slices.

"That's quite a lot of food for one person, though, isn't it?" Chrom asked, bemused.

"Oh, no no no no no," I corrected him. "One pizza serves multiple people." I was hit suddenly by a vivid memory from a birthday party years and years ago, where I ate an entire Chuck-E-Cheese pizza by myself, and then added "Usually. There are smaller versions that can be made for one person, but I think normal pizzas are better."

"Hm." Chrom went silent and looked thoughtful for a long few moments, and then he spoke. "Thomas, I've decided." I tilted my head at him quizzically. "When we get back from this march, you're on cooking duty." I laughed.

"I'm not sure that's necessarily a good idea, but alright. If you insist."

"Frederick and any other culinarily-talented Shepherds who are willing will give you any help you require with cooking, on my word. I want to try a cheeseburger, dammit." Chrom looked dead serious, and I was unable to stifle a snort. "What?" His expression shifted to confusion. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it," I answered.

The meal continued uneventfully, and before I knew it, it was time to head to bed. Everyone made their way back to the barracks, and within a few minutes, silence had fallen on the garrison. It was almost eerie. The only sounds I could hear were the birds and the insects outside. It was a far cry away from the noise I was used to at home; the occasional sounds of the dogs walking around on the hardwood floor downstairs, the bells on the cats' collars ringing as they chased each other through the house. All of it...gone. I laid in bed for a long while, but found myself unable to sleep. 

I reached into my back pocket and extracted my phone. The display read 22% battery. I unlocked it and looked around my home screens. Despite my familiarity with it, the device felt almost otherworldly as I scrolled through it. Right there were Discord, Skype, Google Chrome, YouTube...and yet I was completely disconnected from the real world. Of course, on the very first page, there was Fire Emblem: Heroes. I smiled ruefully. That was kind of funny, in a really messed-up way.

As I looked idly through the device, an idea struck me. It wasn't particularly meaningful, nor did I see any real point to it...but I got out of bed and moved over to the window, opening the camera app as I did. The moon was near its apex. I raised my phone, aligned the shot, and took a picture.

Amidst all the data on my phone from the months I'd had it, there was now something completely alien. Amidst all the relics from the normal, uneventful life I had been living up until a few days ago, there was now a night sky from another world. No one would ever see this photo but me. In a way, I supposed that made it kind of pointless.

I sighed and shut the phone off to conserve battery, and then went back to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.


End file.
